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ACRC Chairman reaffirms strong support for implementation of the UN Convention against Corruption
- Date2015-11-02
- Hit2,236
Chairman Lee makes the Asian Group statement at the Conference of State Parties to the UN Convention against Corruption
The Conference brought together some 1,500 delegates of states and representatives of international organizations and civil society to share experience and best practices on the implementation of the Convention. Participants also focused on discussing the ways to improve the review mechanism for the implementation of the Convention, which was agreed upon in 2009. The most remarkable achievement in the Conference is the agreement to officially launch the second cycle of the implementation review process.
On November 2, Chairman Lee welcomed in his statement on behalf of the Group of Asia-Pacific States the inclusion of Goal 16 on anti-corruption in the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development which was adopted at the UN Sustainable Development Summit last September. He invited States Parties to contribute to reaching Goal 16 targets.
He said that States Parties have made "notable progress in realizing the purposes of the Convention, especially with regard to the criminalization of corruption, law enforcement and international cooperation." He also underlined that delivery of technical assistance is essential to the successful and consistent implementation of the Convention.
In his speech made later on the same day as head of delegation of the Korean government, the ACRC Chairman introduced Korea's recent efforts to implement the Convention.
He explained that the Improper Solicitation and Graft Act enacted in March this year introduced criminal liability for both individuals and legal persons making improper solicitations or offering graft to public officials. He also stated that the Act on the Protection of Public Interest Whistleblowers was revised in July this year to cover a broader range of public interest violations and introduce stronger protection for whistleblowers. He added that the ACRC is currently promoting the legislation of the Act on the Prevention of False Claims of Public Funds to prevent budget waste caused by false or fraudulent claims of public funds.
As for the enactment of the Improper Solicitation and Graft Act, the Chairman said, "the Act will contribute to significantly reducing corrupt practices fueled by nepotism and paternalism, and improving the integrity level of Korean society as a whole."
He also introduced "ACRC Training Courses for International Anti-Corruption Practitioners," which the ACRC has provided since 2013, and the two joint technical cooperation projects with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the World Bank to help Vietnam and Kyrgyz to introduce Korea's "Anti-Corruption Initiative Assessment" and "Integrity Assessment," respectively.
Chairman Lee concluded his statement by saying that "the Korean government will remain committed to the implementation of the UNCAC by sharing our experience and lessons learned in the fight against corruption with countries all over the world."
During the Conference, Korea's whistleblower protection system and "Corruption Impact Assessment" system were presented as best practices at the invitation of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) and UNDP, respectively. Korea's whistleblower protection system is included in the "Resource Guide on Good Practices in the Protection of Reporting Persons," which the UNODC officially launched during the Conference.
| Lee Sungbo, Chairman of the Anti-Corruption and Civil Rights Commission (ACRC), expressed the Korean government's strong support for the implementation of the United Nation's Convention against Corruption (UNCAC) at the 6th Session of the Conference of the States Parties to the United Nations Convention against Corruption that was held from November 2 to 6 in St. Petersburg, Russia. The Convention is the most comprehensive international legal instrument against corruption that provides a set of standards that all countries can apply in order to develop anti-corruption policy and improve their legal and regulatory regimes to fight corruption. This year marks the 10th anniversary of the Convention which entered into force on December 14, 2005. In Korea, the Convention took effect on April 26, 2008, and a total of 177 states ratified the Convention as of the end of October. |  |
The Conference brought together some 1,500 delegates of states and representatives of international organizations and civil society to share experience and best practices on the implementation of the Convention. Participants also focused on discussing the ways to improve the review mechanism for the implementation of the Convention, which was agreed upon in 2009. The most remarkable achievement in the Conference is the agreement to officially launch the second cycle of the implementation review process.
On November 2, Chairman Lee welcomed in his statement on behalf of the Group of Asia-Pacific States the inclusion of Goal 16 on anti-corruption in the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development which was adopted at the UN Sustainable Development Summit last September. He invited States Parties to contribute to reaching Goal 16 targets.
He said that States Parties have made "notable progress in realizing the purposes of the Convention, especially with regard to the criminalization of corruption, law enforcement and international cooperation." He also underlined that delivery of technical assistance is essential to the successful and consistent implementation of the Convention.
In his speech made later on the same day as head of delegation of the Korean government, the ACRC Chairman introduced Korea's recent efforts to implement the Convention.
He explained that the Improper Solicitation and Graft Act enacted in March this year introduced criminal liability for both individuals and legal persons making improper solicitations or offering graft to public officials. He also stated that the Act on the Protection of Public Interest Whistleblowers was revised in July this year to cover a broader range of public interest violations and introduce stronger protection for whistleblowers. He added that the ACRC is currently promoting the legislation of the Act on the Prevention of False Claims of Public Funds to prevent budget waste caused by false or fraudulent claims of public funds.
As for the enactment of the Improper Solicitation and Graft Act, the Chairman said, "the Act will contribute to significantly reducing corrupt practices fueled by nepotism and paternalism, and improving the integrity level of Korean society as a whole."
He also introduced "ACRC Training Courses for International Anti-Corruption Practitioners," which the ACRC has provided since 2013, and the two joint technical cooperation projects with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the World Bank to help Vietnam and Kyrgyz to introduce Korea's "Anti-Corruption Initiative Assessment" and "Integrity Assessment," respectively.
Chairman Lee concluded his statement by saying that "the Korean government will remain committed to the implementation of the UNCAC by sharing our experience and lessons learned in the fight against corruption with countries all over the world."
During the Conference, Korea's whistleblower protection system and "Corruption Impact Assessment" system were presented as best practices at the invitation of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) and UNDP, respectively. Korea's whistleblower protection system is included in the "Resource Guide on Good Practices in the Protection of Reporting Persons," which the UNODC officially launched during the Conference.
